Brookfield’s Pearson, Bonilla among LTHS state track group

Lyons Township High School senior Anthony Pearson of Brookfield often thought about last year’s Class 3A boys track and field sectional. He finished third in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, only one place from a state berth with a top-two sectional finish, but also 1.94 seconds away.

“I wasn’t close at all. I took it personally. (I thought), ‘I’m going to train as hard as I can and I’m going to make it (to state),” Pearson said. “I promised all of my friends I’m going to get it this year, no exceptions. All of the hard work, it worked out.” 

Pearson not only was among the Lions’ eight state qualifiers at the LT Sectional Thursday. Pearson ran a lifetime-best 41.55 seconds to win the 300 hurdles by .96.

“I felt great, felt never better,” Pearson said. “I’ve never experienced it like that. Going through all of the emotions right now. It’s a new feeling.” 

Many Lions, including other seniors, are headed to state for the first time Friday and Saturday, May 29-30 at Eastern Illinois University. Junior Joey Bockwell swept titles in shot put with a school-record 18.84 meters/61 feet-9 3/4 inches and discus (50.10m/164-4).

The 4 x 800 relay of seniors Tyler Gantt, Patrick Collins and Parker Robinson and sophomore Brennan Monohan (8:08.64) won by 4.39 seconds. Advancing with second-place finishes were Gantt (1,600 in 4:20.82), junior Mateo Cue (personal-best 16.29 in 110 high hurdles), sophomore Sterling White (3.44m/11-3 1/2 in pole vault) and the 4×200 relay of sophomore Lincoln DeMauro, junior Anthony Bonilla of Brookfield, senior Max Ferataj and junior Owen Bloem (1:33.13).

Only Gantt and Bockwell previously have competed at state.

“Just to compete in (the 4 x 800) downstate is a blessing and an experience I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” Collins said. “Because the cross country season didn’t go the way we wanted, making state (as a team), I feel like there was more motivation.” 

The Lions (154 points) won the team title but also had six entries finish third and not advance with state-qualifying standards. 

“Ask any coach who’s been doing it long enough and you’re going to have some surprises and some that come up just a little bit short,” LTHS coach Mike Danner said. “But it was a good overall team performance. Sectional champs. We’ve worked for it.” 

Bonilla arrived Friday as a 4 x 200 alternate. He was pressed into action after sophomore Tremario Roberts was injured during long jump.

“I wanted to do it for him,” Bonilla said. “I’m just glad I could do it, make him smile, make all of my teammates happy. The feeling is just surreal.” 

“We used that as motivation to tell (Roberts) we were going to qualify so he wouldn’t feel left out,” said Ferataj, a second-year track runner. “Everything that I’ve done during offseason and this season was worth it to this point. This is the race I’ve been preparing for.” 

Cue was the No. 5 seed but the third-year hurdler delivered a lifetime best by .61.

“Obviously, I was confident but I did not think I was going to qualify. Now I’m just like, ‘Wow, I did it man,’” Cue said.

In shot, Bockwell had three throws that beat Adam Schaufelberger’s 60-3 school record from 2015 and a further one in warmups. Bockwell had the state’s fourth-best sectional distance. 

“I’m happy with the school record but come state I want to push it further,” Bockwell said. “At this point, it’s a game of beating myself.” 

Riverside Brookfield’s fourth-place 4 x 200 of senior Jayden Karas, junior Ben Weisman and seniors August Favarula and Quinn Hendricks (1:34.48) was 1.35 seconds from second. Senior Jayden Karas’ personal bests were fourth in the 100 (11.09) and 200 (23.06).

Nazareth senior Daniel Lewis of Brookfield, a two-time 2A state competitor, was third in the 3,200 (9:34.19).

Girls track and field

Riverside Brookfield’s 4 x 800 of freshman Natalie Moran, senior Addie Vaia, junior Elizabeth Moran and senior Rebecca Dosek ran the relay’s season-best of 10:08.80 to finish 27th at the Class 3A state preliminaries Friday at Eastern Illinois. 

All four made their state track debuts. Anchor Dosek had a team-best 2:21.04 split.

Lyons Township junior Lucy Laux was 23rd in the 400 (59.79) and junior high jumper Mia Toulios missed the opening height of 1.55m/5-1. Both also competed at state as freshmen. 

In 2A, Fenwick junior Juliana Gamboa of Riverside was 17th in the 3,200 (11:28.82). 

Water polo

The Lyons Township boys and girls water polo teams reached the LT Super-Sectional May 19 but both lost after winning the LT Sectionals as No. 1 seeds. The LTHS boys (20-10) lost to Whitney Young 8-3 after beating the Dolphins 11-4 in the March 14 season opener and losing 9-8 in overtime March 28. The LTHS girls (22-8) lost to St. Ignatius 11-7 after losing to the Wolfpack 7-4 April 9.

This year only four teams advanced to the state finals at Barrington instead of eight like past seasons. Whitney Young and St. Ignatius both finished fourth at state.

The LTHS girls, second in state in 2025, reached the final eight for the fifth straight season. 

“We had a lot of seniors so I would say they were very smart players and knew what to do,” LTHS girls coach Megan Jacobs said. “I thought their best game was against Mother McAuley (a 14-8 victory in sectional finals). They played aggressive, not scared, whereas (against St. Ignatius) they kind of came in a little nervous.”  

The LTHS boys lost in last year’s sectional final to end a streak of final eight appearances started in 2015. The Lions defeated No. 3 sectional seed St. Rita 10-4 for their sectional crown. 

“They worked so hard all year,” LTHS coach Doug Eichstaedt said. “We play a really difficult schedule and they always came ready to play, to work hard at practice. We’ve got a great group of kids and we’ll keep working.” 

The LTHS girls trailed St. Ignatius 6-3 at halftime but scored the first two goals of the third quarter. The Wolfpack scored three unanswered goals in a 56-second span later in the quarter to pull ahead 9-5.

“We were just trying to play catch-up the whole time,” Jacobs said. “We slowly inched and got better and better but at the end of the day they had the better game.”

Whitney Young’s strong defense limited shots by the LTHS boys. The Lions trailed 5-1 at halftime, but scored the first goal of the third quarter. The Dolphins scored the next two. 

“Credit to them. They had an answer any time we scored,” Eichstaedt said. “Their defense did a good job slowing us down and not allowing us to get in the rhythm that we wanted.” 

St. Rita defeated the No. 6 RBHS boys (4-12) in the sectional quarterfinals 21-8, May 13. At the Fenwick Sectional, the No. 6 RBHS girls (0-14) lost in the quarterfinals 15-2 to No. 3 Oak Park and River Forest, May 14.